Weakened NC State lost against Vanderbilt. Second game canceled
Only few moments before College World Series was to start an unexpected message arrived. Several NC State players were placed on Covid-19 list and the game had to start an hour later.
NC State only had 9 field players and 4 pitchers available. Pitcher Sam Highfill even started at the first base. Instead of playing at the third base, Vojtěch Menšík started as a shorstop. Many of team’s best players, such as J.T. Jarrett, Jose Torres, Tyler McDonough and Terrell Tatum didn’t start at all. Despite this, NC State managed to play a close game against Vanderbilt.
Kumar Rocker, projected to be drafted early this year started against them. Garrett Payne, for whom this was the first game as a starting pitcher, stood on NC State mound. We had to wait till the fourth inning to see the first run. Unfortunately, inning started with Menšík’s error, after which Dominic Keegan reached the base and later scored. Next run was scored after Payne’s wild pitch.
NC State were able to press Rocker in the fifth inning, but despite that they only scored one run. Vanderbilt had their two run lead back in the next inning. NC State came close to scoring more in the seventh inning, unfortunately, they were unable to do so despite bases loaded, which lead to Vanderbilt 1-3 win. Vojtěch Menšík had one walk in the game.
The makeup game was supposed to be played on Saturday, however, in the end, the match has been cancelled, due to Covid protocols. The official statement from NCAA Division I Baseball Commitee states:
„The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee has declared the Vanderbilt-NC State men’s College World Series game scheduled for Saturday, June 26 at 1 p.m. Central time a no-contest because of Covid-19 protocols.
This decision was made based on the recommendation of the Championship Medical team and Douglas County Health Department. As a result, Vanderbilt will advance to the CWS finals.
The NCAA and the Committee regret that NC State’s student-athlete and coaching staff will not be able to continue in the championship in which they earned the right to participate. Because of privacy issues, we cannot provide further details.“
